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The Triumphs and

Tragedies of a

Scientific Career AILEEN MAY G. ANG

MS CHEM-I MSU- Iligan Institute of Technology

www. Nobelprize.org

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Marie Sklodowski

Curie(1867-1934)

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Early Childhood and Family

Born on November 7, 1897 at Warsaw, Poland

Youngest among five children

Fondly called “little Manya”

belongs to a family of learned and cultured but struggled financially

Born into a family of teachers Her father was a school principal

(walking encyclopedia)Her grandfather was a school

principal Her mother was a headmistress and

the manager of the household at the same time.

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The first Tragedies…………

oHer father lost his job when Russia occupied PolandoHer mother got infected with TB oHer mother died when she was still nineoHer sister’s death from typhus followed

•Marie was depressed, could not stop crying•To cope the pain, played a game pretending to be a genius doctor who was able to discover a miracle cure• such fantasy became a real life plan of going to Paris to study medicine (NO MONEY!!!)

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EDUCATION At 15, graduated as valedictorian from public school while working as governess to support the studies of her sister she attends science classes at the “Flying University” (to satisfy her intellectual loneliness)

Tragedy?…… falling in love for the first time with the son of her employer…. Rejected by the parents of the guy because of their impoverished financial situation….

Strengthened and pushed her to continue studying…

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“First principle: Never let one’s self be beaten down by persons or events.” ---- Marie Curie

studied mathematics and physics on her own (6 years)Went to Paris in 1891 and took a qualifying entrance test in Sorbornne University Passed the test and enrolled to a degree program equivalent to MS Physics 1 of the 23 women out of 1825 students at Sorbornne University

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Her goal was total immersion in Physicso Moved into the 6th floor of an

apartment o not concerned about lack of

heat during winter or simple meals made from her cheap stove

oShe would eat, sleep and breath Physics for 2 years

Graduated her MS Physics degree in 1893 (top student) After graduation, she enrolled in an MS Mathematics degreeFinished her MS Math within one year (second in class)Finished her doctorate degree on 1903

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The Love life….. Marie was introduced to Pierre few months before her graduation from MS degree Pierre was attracted to MarieoBoth had been disappointed in loveodedicated their single life to Physics in

all its complexity and beautyPierre decided to pursue Marie and ask her to spend the rest of their scientific lives together.

8Wedding photo of Pierre and Marie Curie, 1895.  (www.nobelprize.org)

Marie and Pierre Curie got married in a simple ceremony on July 26, 1895

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The Collaboration on Radioactivity

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The Research …….

oLong years of doing research on radioactivity was the most thrilling part of her life

o Marie assumed the role of the chemist extracting and purifying radioactive elements in a dirty “potato shed” as her laboratory

oMarie relied on a piezo-electrical instrument to measure emissions for her purified sample

o Marie decided that her doctorate thesis will be on mysterious x-rays emitted by uranium (find more radioactive elements)oMarie discovered that there was something going on inside the atom that created rays (radioactivity)

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Success !!!!

oMarie published several papers and set out theories and conclusions about radioactivity

oMarie extracted radium from uranium ore

oMarie together with Pierre discovered two elements: Radium (after “radiation) and Polonium (after Poland)

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The First Nobel Prize…..

In 1903, Marie and Pierre were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for the discoveries about radiation

one thing that they bought with their nobel prize money was a modern bathroom with a toilet for their home

Radium (www.google.com)

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After the Nobel Prize …..o Press emphasized the romance of doing physicsoCuries became the role models for next generation of physicistsoCompeted with RutherfordoMarie and Pierre remained to be the world’s leading experts on radioactivityoThey were funded by French government to make researchesoContinued to produce radium (Marie’s chemical extraction process)o Gave away samples to other physicist (including Rutherford)oGive information to private sectors on how to produce radium

oTHEY DID NOT PATENT THEIR EXTRACTION PROCESS

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The Dangerous Beauty of Radium …..Both Marie and Pierre were captivated by radium. Marie kept a small vial of radium salts by her bedside. She was enchanted with the soft, blue glow it produced in the dark. Despite, burns on their finger tips and symptoms like fatigue, Marie denied to admit the negative health effects of radiation. She thought only of its potential to heal people.

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The Gifts….

Marie with her daughters Irene and Eve.

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Marie began to suffer the effects of exposure to radiation during her pregnancies.

She suffered miscarriage (late of 1903).

She felt very disappointed. The tragedy dampened whatever satisfaction she got from obtaining her doctorate degree.

http://www.time.com

The Death of Pierre Curie

In 1906, after many years of daily contact with radioactive substances, Pierre was slowing down from radiation. He was suffering from severe pains in his back and legs. One rainy afternoon, with his vision limited he walked right into an on-coming horse-drawn wagon. He was instantly trampled to death.

Marie was devastated. He lost a husband and a research partner.

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After Pierre’s Death…..o Marie took over Pierre’s teaching job at Sorborne University

oMarie is the first woman professor in any French University

o Became the Director of the Radium Institute

BUToMarie was pre-occupied.oHad to take care and educate her daughters

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The Longing for a male companionship……

oMarie was devastated and turned to a former student of Pierre, Paul Langevin, for companionship

oThe love affair was exposed by a tabloid newspaper and a scandal resulted

oMarie’s reputation and career were nearly destroyed

oPhysics community did not rush in to support her

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The Second Nobel Prize

oMarie was awarded a Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the discovery of Polonium and Radium

The Courageous act….o Marie defied the wishes of the academy and attended the ceremony.

“ I believe that there is no connection between my scientific work and the facts of private life. I cannot accept the idea in principle that the appreciation of the value of scientific work should be influenced by libel and slander concerning private life. ”

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World War I ……o Marie and Irene volunteered to took x-rays to locate bullets of wounded soldiers

oMarie created 20 mobile x-ray machines and 200 stationary machines

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After the War ……o After the war ended in 1918, Marie spent most of her time with her daughters

oMarie emphasized that the girls should become independent and able to support themselves

oThey visited the Grand canyon

oMarie, who never owned jewelry, not even a wedding ring, bought some native american jewelry

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Declining Health …..

o Marie underwent kidney operation

oShe developed cataracts in her eyes and suffered from tintinitus (ringing of ears)

oShe suffered from severe pains due to radiation exposure

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She contracted leukemia and died on July 14, 1934.

Her ashes were buried in Pantheon (France’s great monument to its heroes and heroines)

Marie’s bold adventure into the atomic universe came to an end. …..

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“Life is not easy for us. We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something and that something must be attained.” -Marie Curie